Shelbourne camp in disarray due to virus ahead of Cork City clash

ILL CAMP: Shelbourne's camp has been struck down with a virus with a number of players unable to train this week. Pic:Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Shelbourne’s preparations for Friday’s visit of Cork City have been hurtled into a tailspin by a sickness bug in the camp.

The champions lost their unbeaten start to the season last Friday by falling 1-0 to early leaders Drogheda United and Damien Duff is unsure of his personnel for the clash against City at Tolka Park. Thursday’s customary pre-match drill had to be scratched.

"We’re down bodies,” sighed the Ireland legend.

“I won’t give a list but there’s been a bad virus in the group. The lads haven’t trained properly, in and out, and haven’t been able to do much.

“We’d usually do our walkthrough the day before a match but couldn’t. We’ll name our XI 90 minutes before kick-off based on who is actually fit and sitting in front of us in the meeting room and ready to play at that point."

Shels claimed a pair of wins and draws from their opening four matches but were undone by a Warren Davis rocket four minutes into their fifth outing against the FAI Cup holders.

“It’s been a rough week between the result and the bug,” outlined the Reds boss.

“Last Friday was one of our worst nights; I felt it to be one of our worst results in my four seasons here.” Duff’s assistant, fellow ex-Ireland player Joey O’Brien, has lifted his boss’s spirits.

“That’s why Joey is brilliant for me. He saw the game against Drogheda as utter dominance. I think you can take a bit of both: the bitter disappointment I feel, the frustration of the disrupted week, but also the optimism Joe has.

“We’ve played five very difficult games, and the next step is getting used to facing teams that try to frustrate us.

“It’s about bringing that cutting edge. What I mean by personality, players showing their skills, their profiles, and contributing different things in an attacking sense.” Duff doesn’t reckon the artillery of City – who have also only lost once – will be weakened by the absence of key players.

"Cork are a very dangerous team – which we’ve referenced a lot in team meetings,” stressed Duff about the newly-promoted Rebels.

“There’s a lot of quality in the First Division and they back themselves to cut through and hurt teams.

“They might be missing Seáni Maguire and Greg Bolger – big players – but Ruairi Keating, Alex Nolan, and Malik Dijksteel look really good. They can punish teams. Any hint of disrespect and we’ll soon find out the hard way."

Clancy will be back on the bench following his touchline suspension, intent on building on a solid start.

“We could be sitting here on nine points because we were the better team in the two home draws against Galway United and Sligo Rovers,” said the City chief.

“We’ll have to be structured out of possession against Shels and be clinical when the chances come.” 

Elsewhere, Drogs welcome Shamrock Rovers to Co Louth capable of extending their buffer over the Hoops to 10 points. Bohemians hosts St Patrick’s Athletic in the televised fixture, while Galway United and Waterford square up in the west.